Thursday, 9 March 2017

The Russian Bride, the new book by Juliette Banks

I'm delighted to welcome Rachel de Vine back as my guest, to talk about her new book The Russian Bride,
which she's publishing as Juliette Banks. I loved her last book, The Artist, and have already purchased The Russian Bride.

Hi Rachel, can you tell us about your new book, please?

Of course.

Natasha, a Russian-born
woman living in London, catches the eye of Viktor, a middle-aged Russian
gangster. He wants her as his wife, the mother of his son, and his submissive
partner in the kinky sex he enjoys at his isolated home near Saint Petersburg.
But he doesn’t ask her to accompany him – he just takes what he wants.

Surprisingly, Natasha begins
to accept her new life. Is she really a natural submissive, or has Viktor
brainwashed her? Viktor is adamant that he will not have sex with her until
they are married, but he shows her just how kinky he likes it by taking her to
orgies held by his friend, and tells her that this is the type of life she can
expect as his wife.

Everything turns sour,
however, and on a visit to London, Natasha has to flee for her life – where
businessman, James Miller, comes to her aid. Over the course of the next few
days, Natasha tells James her story, and as horrified as he is, he cannot deny
his attraction to the beautiful young woman. He vows to help her.

Neither of them realize quite
how much danger they will be in for defying Viktor, but James is willing to
risk everything to rescue her from this man. Can he do it? And does Natasha
return his feelings?

It's a fast-paced tale including explicit themes including power exchange, capture,
multiple sexual partners and discipline. Not to everyone's taste, I know, so please bear that in mind before purchasing.

Here's a short extract:

His
breath was hot against the back of her neck, as he stood as close as he could
without actually touching her. He ran his finger lightly across her naked
shoulder and up her arm that was suspended above her body and it made her
shiver. Her skin was damp with sweat, even though the room was not excessively
hot. But he was not done with her yet. He whispered into her ear.

“Now, as
I promised you my darling, I will use the strap before I fuck you.It is a while since you felt the licks of a
leather strap, isn’t it?”

Her reply
was also in a whisper, as though she was afraid to break the spell between
them.

“Yes,
Sir. It’s been a long time.”

He
stepped away from her and she heard the familiar sound of the strap as it
whistled through the air in a practice stroke.He had warmed her with the flogger on her back and buttocks, but she
knew that the strap would be more severe. Nevertheless, she craved the feeling
as it whistled down and thrashed across her buttocks, the sting of the
immediate pain soon turning to pleasure as she absorbed what he administered
with great skill. He knew exactly what she needed, exactly how far to take her.
She always craved the intense pleasure she got from him, the man who had made
her live again, the man who had helped her to love again, the man who had made
her feel again.

Is there anything you remember
which prompted you to start writing? When do you remember first wanting to
write?

Even as a young child I enjoyed writing and telling stories.
I used to make up stories for my sister, when I was about seven, in exchange
for her to get out of bed and switch the light off. (We didn’t have bedside lamps, and I was
frightened of the dark!) When I was eight I entered a Win a Pony writing
competition, run by a national newspaper, and was a runner-up. I think my
mother was quite relieved that I didn’t win. I think she envisaged that she
would be looking after it.

How
long did it take you to write this book?

I’m quite a fast writer, although not as fast as some. It
took about six weeks to write, plus another couple of weeks to edit. I had
actually started it a year ago, but didn’t get past the first chapter, so left
it. I often do that – start, lose interest, then return to it. It has to ‘feel
right’ in my mind for me to write the story.

What
book do you wish you could have written?

A book that resonated with me when I was young was Lady
Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence. (And not for the obvious reason!) I just
loved the rebelliousness and non-conformity of the man, who was a local boy,
growing up just a few miles from where I live now. The locals didn’t forgive
him for many years for what they thought was his mocking of their way of life.
I would love to write like him.

A modern writer whom I greatly admire and would love to
emulate is Chloe Thurlow, who wrote one of my favourite books of recent times,
Katie in Love. Her style of writing is superb, and I would say that she is one
of the best writers of her generation.

What’s your passion in life?

Apart from writing, which is my true passion, travelling to
far off places comes a close second, in terms of the pleasure I have obtained
from it. I was lucky, in one sense, to have been born when I was, when travelling
had become so much easier than for previous generations. I fell into it by
accident, when an overland trip to Australia (from the UK) that had been
planned with three other people, fell through. So I went alone. I took trains
and busses across Europe and Asia, ending up in Australia three months later. So
began a lifelong passion that still burns strong. I once calculated that I have
been to about 45 countries so far, and hope to see many more before I hang up
my travel bag. (Actually, the title of my so-far unpublished autobiography is
One Day I Will Find the Perfect Suitcase!)

Any individual male and female
figure you particularly admire, dead or alive, and why?

I think I would choose Queen Elizabeth 1, who reigned in
England from 1558 until her death in 1603. To be a woman in those times was not
easy, but to be a queen, who was brave and heroic (it seems to me) was amazing.

Thank you, Rachel. And I do hope The Russian Bride finds an appreciative readership.

Here are some social media links for Rachel and Juliette, in case you'd like
to know more about her and her writing.

I’m quite a private person, so I like to let my books do the
talking. However, I will tell you that I live in a rural part of the Midlands
of England, and for some years was a farmer, along with my family. I love
travel, reading, music and spending time with my amazing extended family.

I like to write about sensual, romantic relationships,
because I’m quite a romantic person, but I like to add a bit of grittiness from
time to time. My leading characters don’t always have an easy time of it. They
sometimes have a hard struggle to achieve their happy ever after.